Customer Reviews

Untamed

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

OK, I admit it I've never read an Elizabeth Lowell book until now. Whew, I didn't realize what I was missing! This was one of those rare books that hooked me in & wouldn't let me put it down.

The book starts out with the pending marriage of Lady Margaret (Meg) & returning Crusader Dominic le Sabra. Neither have laid eyes on the other before but are both willing to go along with the prearranged marriage. Meg accepts this as her fate (although she is by no means a wimp!) & Dominic wants to claim the castle & lands that come along with Meg and begin working on making himself some heirs. Only problem is that Meg happens to be one of the cursed Glendruid (white) witches that for centuries have been unable to conceive male offspring because of a witche's past mistake and the missing Glendruid Wolf. It has been rumored that all Glendruid women are unable to fall in love with a man and vice versa because their powers of perception make them cold and impossible to love. This isn't the only obstacle the couple must face in order to find happiness....

Meg is a charming heroine with a touching love for her people & land who will sacrifice everything to save the people who mean so much to her. She's truly an admirable character. Dominic is a wonderful scarred hero who wants nothing more than to settle down and end all of the fighting and bloodshed.

Overall this was a very sensuous and tender love story with a wonderful ending. I highly recommend it & can't wait to dig into the other books in this trilogy.

In an age and a land filled with war, Dominic le Sabre is longing for peace and a land he can build on, with a wife who will bear him sons. As a reward for his heroic acts during the Crusades, King Henry I grants him his wish. Dominic is given Lady Margaret as his wife. She is the heir to Blackthorne keep.

Dominic arrives at Blackthorne and finds it filled with intrigue he must unravel and spies he must discover before he can gain full control of the keep. Most important of all is the puzzle surrounding his wife. Meg is a Glendruid witch, the last of a dying Celtic clan living under a curse. A thousand years ago, because of a betrayal, the Glendruid witches have not been able to bear sons. The stipulations are thus: If the witch is raped on her wedding night, she will not bear a child and a withering curse will descend on the keep. If her husband gives her pleasure, she will bear him a daughter. If, however, the witch and her husband are in love with each other, she will bear him a son.

Dominic approaches the problem as he would a war: to lay siege to his wife and win her love. But Meg sees through him and knows only that Dominic is incapable of love and she is, therefore, unable to bear him a son. Despite that, Meg pours her healing efforts into Dominic, to heal the wounds inflicted on his during the Crusades and hopefully to restore his heart.

Elizabeth Lowell is an enthralling storyteller. She weaves a compelling story filled with suspenseful intrigue and dynamic characters that will steal your heart and breath away. You'll be captivated to the last page.

This book brought back my faith in romance novels. The two previous books by Julie Garwood I had for my summer reading were irritating, full of silly bickering between the hero and heroine, with some love scenes thrown in. This book, however, was different. Instead of showing conflict between the two lead characters through dumb arguments, the author showed it by giving me heartbreaking insight into the hero and heroine's minds and hearts. By making me understand their hurts and fears, the author made me actually CARE for the lovers, instead of just CURIOUS as to what the ending would be. The author's Dominic and Meg are three dimensional and real, unlike the "cookie cutter-shaped" characters of other romances I've read. This book had a lot of fresh material, a lot of new ideas. I still can't forget the scene where Dominic attempts to "tame" Meg in the most unusual way - as gently as he would tame a newly-snared falcon. This scene took my breath away. If you're tired of worn-out plots and you're ready for a real LOVE story, I definitely recommend this book!

Dominic le Sabre is home from the Christian Crusades and is a national hero. The king gives him the castle and lands of Blackthorne and arranges a marriage with Lady Margaret of Blackthorne. Lady Margaret (Meg) accepts her fate as Dominic's wife and begins earnestly working with this new arrangement to best benefit all the people of Blackthorn. Dominic is ready to relish this new life and desires heirs from his new wife. Thus begins this magnificent love story you won't forget.

It is so refreshing to read a story about an arranged marriage in a historical novel that has two mature participants. There is not even a shadow of the usual, overused plot lines in this type of situation. Both Dominic and Meg sincerely long to make the marriage work and care for the other. There is none of the spite, the betrayal, the deceit, the rudeness, the ruthlessness, and the hate on the part of the husband or wife as is routinely written in this sort of story setting.

Meg now ranks as my favorite heroine. She is REAL - like a sensible, mature woman would be. She sincerely seeks what is best for her people and her husband. Meg portrays honesty and kindness but is not weak and does not see herself as a martyr. She determines to allow the marriage to be the best it can be. Of course, she realizes that the marriage can only be what Dominic allows it to be as well.

Dominic is magnificent as the medieval knight and new husband. He is genuinely a great hero in many ways and demonstrates true honor. He is also the typical type A male but we eventually see tenderness under his hard exterior. In the beginning, Dominic has little hope that his marriage will be anything other than an arranged marriage in which he will do his part to produce heirs. He actually propositions Meg to be his leman in the beginning of the book - mistaking Meg as a servant. But once he finds out that Meg is his future wife, he no longer seeks a leman.

Elizabeth Lowell is an incredible writer. This is not a light read. The story is deep and the characters are very well developed. You are literally immersed in every page. There are few sensual scenes in the book and they occur in probably the last fourth of the book. These scenes are wonderfully written with a great deal of beauty. The sensual scenes rate about a 3 1/2 out of 5 (see More About Me for rating guidelines).

This is a wonderfully written book with great historical detail, mysticism, likeable characters, and a fantastic plot. It is exciting to discover this author. She has written many books and I am anxious to read many more of her books. Untamed is first in a series of three: Untamed, Forbidden, and Enchanted. I will definitely keep this book on my favorite shelf to read again - probably more than once - and I know that I will savor it all over again.

Looks like i'm in the minority again. I like Elizabeth Lowell okay but this story is not one her best. Untamed is set in medeival time. The hero has been awarded a wealthy heiress with a profitable estate in marriage. When he marries her, he proceeds to spend the rest of the story concerned with getting a male heir that is of his blood. He locks his wife in her room for a period of time, then has her followed for the rest of the story until she is pregnant. She has given him absolutely no reason at all for him to believe she has slept around, and I just could not stand to read about the heroine being imprisoned and followed around until she became pregnant. Lowell's other two stories in this trilogy(Forbidden and Enchanted) are good but this one became boring fast.

I read the triology I could not put the books down ,Dominic and Meg were unforgetable I cry just remembering Untamed. Forbidden and Enchanted are the sequels and they are unbelievably good and unforgettable historical romances (Amber and Duncan) and then (Simon and Ariane) I have to admit the men in these books represent the best in life. And I hope and wait for the book on Erik he will be the perfect warrior a land long forgotten. Elizabeth Lowell is the best. The characters are outrageous ,strong minded and sexy and they know what they want.

This is the first book in this medieval trilogy which is quite enchanting. The mystical maiden falls in love with the battle hardened warrior who had never known love. The plot is pretty typical from there, but the details are what make this story.

I have had the books Untamed,Forbidden,and Enchanted for about two years. They are the best books I have read,and I read alot of books. The stories kept me reading until I had finished all books in record time. I to await the story of Erik, and have been waiting for a long time. I have read my series of books three times, or is it four? I have read other Lowell books and find her historicals the best. Don't miss reading these.

I bought all in this trilogy (Untamed, Forbidden, Enchanted) based on the reviews, and for once, the reviews were completely justified. Untamed was my first romance by Elizabeth Lowell but it won't be my last. I am amazed I've not heard of her before as I was thrilled with this book. Her writing is wonderful, historically accurate, her storytelling detailed and consistently presents action, natural sexual tension and conflict that is not scary or over the top as some romance writers engage in, but rather, it's a believable story of developing love that is also enthralling.

Untamed, a RITA Award Winner, is the first in the trilogy. It is the story of Lady Margaret of Blackthorne, a Glendruid "witch" (though she is really a God fearing young woman who loves her people), and Dominic le Sabre ("the Sword"), a knight who has returned to Scotand to be rewarded by King Henry I for great service in the Middle East. His reward is Blackthorne keep, its lands and the Lady Margaret ("Meg"), its mistress. Dominic wants lands, peace and heirs--male heirs--but the Glendruid women cannot bear male heirs unless there is real love present and Dominic has none to give he has been so wounded in heart and soul at the hands of the Saracens. Dominic knows Meg was promised to another and he suspects the man was also her lover. However, Meg is an innocent young woman though wise in the ways of people and animals. She's a gifted healer, as are all the Glendruids, and she has an amazing way with the falcons they raise at Blackthorne.

I loved the way Lowell wove falconry and the life of a medieval keep into her incredibly detailed story. She created wonderful characters (two of whom are featured in Forbidden and Enchanted) with period dialog that drew me in from the first page. The romance is well done and very believable. This is a keeper, worth enjoying more than once! I highly recommend it.

Lady Margaret of Blackthorne knows what it means to do her duty. Her father wants her to marry his illegitimate son so that his lands will stay within the family. Her half-brother wants her to marry him so that he can finally have land of his own. Her king wants her to marry a Norman soldier to reward him for his loyalty and valor. And the Norman soldier in question wants her to marry him so that he can have heirs and land of his own. What Meg wants doesn't matter to anyone but Meg herself. When the Norman soldier shows up for their wedding, Meg's father and half-brother have plotted a rebellion. With one word, the Lady could turn her wedding into a war, but the only thing that Meg wants is peace.

Dominic le Sabre, known as the Sword, is a fierce Norman soldier who has fought hard for the Saxon bride and land that he has been given. He comes to Blackthorne Keep eager for peace and rest after fighting in the Holy Wars. He fully expects Meg to rebel against him, and is expecting treachery at his wedding. Accordingly, he's shocked when the woman agrees to marry him, and worries about her motives. He quickly learns, however, that he need not be so pleased at the union when the joy of his wedding feast is shattered by Meg's father's speech wherein he confesses that his daughter is a Glendruid witch. According to legend, Glendruid women can only have children if there is pleasure in the marriage bed, and they can only have sons if there is love for their husbands. His final words to Dominic are a curse that his marriage will bear no fruit. And when Dominic looks at his Saxon bride, he wonders if the peace and rest, along with heirs and land, that he's wished for are beyond his reach forever.

Untamed was one of my first forays into historical romance and I remember loving it at the time. It's been at least 3 years since I last read it, and while I can see some flaws in the story now, it's still one of favorites. Meg is one of my favorite heroines because she is a healer and helper to her people. Meg's first concern is to the people of Blackthorne Keep. She knows that rebuffing Dominic will throw her land into war, causing strife and unrest among her vassals. Meg is a person who values peace, so she does her duty, despite the fact that the man in question makes it clear early on that she is only to be used as a vessel for his heirs. And Dominic le Sabre, once one of my top 10 heroes of all time, is a soldier, a warrior, and a warlord. He's known as the Sword because of his fierceness in battle, and that fierceness spreads to every aspect of his life. This is not a man who has known peace and love. He has sacrificed his life for his men, and all he wants from marriage is to have sons to carry on his name. When he learns that his bride is cursed in such a way that might not make it possible, Dominic determines to make it possible. If pleasure is what it takes for heirs, he will seduce is bride with the patience and vigilance with which he's trained his falcons and his soldiers.

Reading this book with a more critical eye, I have one big problem with the story. Dominic is distrustful of his wife from beginning to end, and it's not just the jealousy and possessiveness typical of alpha heroes. Three years ago, I found it endearing. Today, I found it aggravating. But that still doesn't change the fact that Untamed has one of my favorite scenes in any romance ever (when he addresses the people after receiving a piece of candy), and that scene alone is enough to make me recommend this book. Once you've enjoyed Untamed, be sure to read the next two books in the series Forbidden, featuring Meg's half-brother Duncan, and Enchanted, featuring Duncan's brother Simon.